Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster (2012) first pictures

Aston Martin has finally taken the roof off the V12 Vantage, creating the new 2012 V12 Vantage Roadster, pragmatic nomenclature fans. Mechanically identical to the hard-top, it's on sale now, priced at a nice, round £150,000.

Well, ostensibly, yes, but it's tricky to refer to anything with a 6.0-litre, 510bhp/420lb ft V12 as 'just' another soft-top.

Those numbers haul the V12 Roadster to 62mph in an estimated 4.5sec, and top speed is a wind-in-the-hair-raising 190mph. That's 0.3 sec and 10mph faster repectively than the V8 Vantage Roadster car with a manual 'box - the only transmission option in the V12.

The Roadster gets the same alterations as the V12 Vantage coupe. Carbonfibre is very much the order of the day: it's on the  side strakes, front splitter and rear diffuser, mirror caps and rear light inserts. The aggressive diffuser with twin exhausts and steeper bootlid lip is cribbed from the V12 coupe, too, along with those unmistakeable bonnet vents. A new design of forged alloy wheel is the other headline debut.

Changes have been applied to the Roadster's chassis for its new V12-powered role: there's a modified rear damper set-up, different front and rear damper valve tuning and a new rear spring design. The revised suspension and Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyre should make the V12 Roadster more than just a darling of the boulevard cruiser cognescenti.

There's greater use of glass buttons and more carbonfibre trim sprinkled around the cabin, in line with the new Vanquish revealed this summer.

Orders are being taken now, with the £150,000 asking price representing a £15,000 premium over the coupe.

By Ollie Kew